St. John's University Athletics
Friday, September 13
Queens, N.Y. (Belson Stadium)
7:30 p.m.
St. John's University
vs
Penn
No. 19 St. John’s Looks to Match Historic Start against Penn
9/12/2019 3:47:00 PM | Men's Soccer
Red Storm will try to equal the best start in program history against the Quakers
QUEENS, N.Y. (Sept. 12, 2019) – Off to its best start in nearly two decades, the No. 19 St. John's men's soccer team will face a tough test on Friday night at Belson Stadium, wrapping a three-game homestand against the University of Pennsylvania at 7:30 p.m.
The game will be broadcast live on ESPN3, available on the ESPN app and WatchESPN.com.
After taking down Iona, 3-2, on Tuesday night in front of more than 800 fans at Belson Stadium, the Red Storm is off to its first 4-0-0 start since 2001. Should the Johnnies secure a victory against the Quakers, they would match the longest winning streak to start a season in program history, as the 1995 team won five in a row to kick off the campaign en route to its fourth straight BIG EAST title. While St. John's has only won five consecutive games to start a season once in its history, the Red Storm has rattled off unbeaten streaks of eight or more to begin a campaign eight different times, including a school-record 21-gamer in 1993 (18-0-3) that saw St. John's suffer its first loss on Nov. 13. The year before in 1992, St. John's began the season 14-0-2 before finally losing a game on Oct. 27.
Playing without the services of senior captain Matt Forster on Tuesday night, St. John's received a pair of stellar offensive contributions from Einar Lye and Niko Petridis. Petridis kicked off the scoring in the 12th minute, netting his first goal as a member of the Johnnies off an assist from Lye. Lye then scored each of the Red Storm's final two goals, recording an unassisted tally off a free kick in the 53rd before finding the back of the net less than a minute later with the help of assists from Petridis and Skage Simonsen. Lye became the first St. John's player to record five points in a single game in 14 years, as Sebastian Alvrado-Ralph last accomplished the feat on Sept. 11, 2005, in a 4-0 win at No. 2 Duke.
The Red Storm is riding a wave of offensive momentum not seen in nearly a decade, as the team has scored three or more times in back-to-back games for the first time since 2010. That season, St. John's beat Hartford, 3-0, on Sept. 17 before downing LIU Brooklyn, 5-0, just two days later. The Red Storm's nine goals so far this season match the highest total by a St. John's team through four games since 1998. Last season, St. John's did not score its ninth goal of the year until its eighth match.
Through games played on Wednesday, St. John's and Penn (2-0) are two of just 21 Division I teams that have yet to suffer a loss or a tie in 2019. The Quakers are one of only five teams in the nation that has yet to concede a goal, downing Monmouth, 2-0, in their season opener before scoring in the 82nd minute to defeat Marist, 1-0, on Monday. St. John's went 326:47 before allowing an opponent to etch their name on the score sheet this season, as Jan Hoffelner and Luka Gavran combined to register three straight clean sheets against Appalachian State, NC State and Manhattan.
Off to the program's first 2-0-0 start since 2014, Penn has proven to be a defensive menace in the early going of the 2019 campaign, as the Quakers' opponents have mustered just 15 shots in two games with only three of those tries finding their target. Sophomore goalkeeper Dane Jacomen has played all 180 minutes in net for Penn so far this season.
Sophomore midfielder Joey Bhangdia has scored in both of Penn's games, adding an early insurance tally in the season opener against Monmouth before scoring a late game-winner against Marist on Monday. Freshman Kai Lammers is the only other member of the Quakers to score so far in 2019, tallying the game-winner against the Hawks.
Friday's contest will mark the first ever meeting between St. John's and Penn on the pitch.
The Quakers will be the first of two straight Ivy League opponents for St. John's before the start of BIG EAST play, as the Johnnies will head to Columbia on Monday evening.
The game will be broadcast live on ESPN3, available on the ESPN app and WatchESPN.com.
After taking down Iona, 3-2, on Tuesday night in front of more than 800 fans at Belson Stadium, the Red Storm is off to its first 4-0-0 start since 2001. Should the Johnnies secure a victory against the Quakers, they would match the longest winning streak to start a season in program history, as the 1995 team won five in a row to kick off the campaign en route to its fourth straight BIG EAST title. While St. John's has only won five consecutive games to start a season once in its history, the Red Storm has rattled off unbeaten streaks of eight or more to begin a campaign eight different times, including a school-record 21-gamer in 1993 (18-0-3) that saw St. John's suffer its first loss on Nov. 13. The year before in 1992, St. John's began the season 14-0-2 before finally losing a game on Oct. 27.
Playing without the services of senior captain Matt Forster on Tuesday night, St. John's received a pair of stellar offensive contributions from Einar Lye and Niko Petridis. Petridis kicked off the scoring in the 12th minute, netting his first goal as a member of the Johnnies off an assist from Lye. Lye then scored each of the Red Storm's final two goals, recording an unassisted tally off a free kick in the 53rd before finding the back of the net less than a minute later with the help of assists from Petridis and Skage Simonsen. Lye became the first St. John's player to record five points in a single game in 14 years, as Sebastian Alvrado-Ralph last accomplished the feat on Sept. 11, 2005, in a 4-0 win at No. 2 Duke.
The Red Storm is riding a wave of offensive momentum not seen in nearly a decade, as the team has scored three or more times in back-to-back games for the first time since 2010. That season, St. John's beat Hartford, 3-0, on Sept. 17 before downing LIU Brooklyn, 5-0, just two days later. The Red Storm's nine goals so far this season match the highest total by a St. John's team through four games since 1998. Last season, St. John's did not score its ninth goal of the year until its eighth match.
Through games played on Wednesday, St. John's and Penn (2-0) are two of just 21 Division I teams that have yet to suffer a loss or a tie in 2019. The Quakers are one of only five teams in the nation that has yet to concede a goal, downing Monmouth, 2-0, in their season opener before scoring in the 82nd minute to defeat Marist, 1-0, on Monday. St. John's went 326:47 before allowing an opponent to etch their name on the score sheet this season, as Jan Hoffelner and Luka Gavran combined to register three straight clean sheets against Appalachian State, NC State and Manhattan.
Off to the program's first 2-0-0 start since 2014, Penn has proven to be a defensive menace in the early going of the 2019 campaign, as the Quakers' opponents have mustered just 15 shots in two games with only three of those tries finding their target. Sophomore goalkeeper Dane Jacomen has played all 180 minutes in net for Penn so far this season.
Sophomore midfielder Joey Bhangdia has scored in both of Penn's games, adding an early insurance tally in the season opener against Monmouth before scoring a late game-winner against Marist on Monday. Freshman Kai Lammers is the only other member of the Quakers to score so far in 2019, tallying the game-winner against the Hawks.
Friday's contest will mark the first ever meeting between St. John's and Penn on the pitch.
The Quakers will be the first of two straight Ivy League opponents for St. John's before the start of BIG EAST play, as the Johnnies will head to Columbia on Monday evening.
Players Mentioned
Midfielder
/ Men's Soccer
Goalkeeper
/ Men's Soccer
GK
/ Men's Soccer
Midfielder
/ Men's Soccer
Midfielder
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